adverbization

Adverbization is the linguistic process by which a word, most commonly an adjective or a noun, takes on the function of an adverb or is turned into an adverbial form. In English, the most common route is derivational: adding the suffix -ly to adjectives to form adverbs (quick → quickly, silent → silently). Some adverbs arise without a suffix, especially those that share the same form as adjectives (fast, hard), or through other affixes in narrow contexts (forward, backward; clockwise, counterclockwise). Periphrastic adverbization uses phrases such as “in a … manner” or “with … style.”

Cross-linguistic variation is significant. In many Romance languages, adverbs are formed from adjectives with a dedicated suffix, often -mente (lentamente from lento; rapidamente from rapido). In German, adverbs frequently mirror the corresponding adjective in form and occur without a dedicated adverbial suffix, though some adverbial shades are produced by specific particles or word order. Other languages employ entirely different strategies for adverb formation, illustrating the diversity of adverbization across the world’s languages.

In usage, adverbization can introduce nuance or stylistic choice but is not always interchangeable with another adverb. Some adjectives readily become adverbs, while others resist morphological change or rely on alternatives such as periphrasis. Irregularities and historical developments shape what counts as a natural adverb in a given language.

The term adverbization appears in linguistic discussions of word formation and syntax, and is related to processes such as adverbialization, adverb formation, and adverbial usage.